Item number: CSMT351
Genuine Antique Chart
1781
Maker: Joseph Frederick Wallet Des Barres
Antique chart of the area near Louisbourg by J.F.W. Des Barres, published Oct 1, 1781. Shows the 18th-century French fortress at Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. Its two sieges, especially that of 1758, were turning points in the Anglo-French struggle for what today is Canada. The original settlement was founded in 1713. Subsequently, the fishing port grew to become a major commercial port and a strongly defended fortress. The fortifications eventually surrounded the town. The walls were constructed mainly between 1720 and 1740. By the mid-1740s Louisbourg, named for Louis XIV of France, was one of the most extensive (and expensive) European fortifications constructed in North America. This chart covers the area from Kennington Point to Louisbourg Harbor with North East Harbor. Shows some farmlands, a lighthouse, the Island Battery, and more. Notable are two locations labeled Wolfe's Landing and one Amherst's Landing, relating to the Seven Years’ War when Louisburg was captured again in 1758 by British forces, after which its fortifications were systematically destroyed by British engineers. The British continued to have a garrison at Louisbourg until 1768 but had abandoned the site by 1785. Upon the outbreak of hostilities with France in 1756, JFW Des Barres joined the British Royal American Regiment as a military engineer. He came to the attention of General James Wolfe, who appointed him to join his personal detail. Good to very good condition, apparently restored by a previous owner, with some uneven toning that is darker on the bottom and right edges. Some small minor spots and some slight damage to the paper surface in the lower right. Chart has apparently been backed for paper integrity. Measures approx. 20.25 x 29.5 inches to the outer border lines.
Genuine Antique Chart from 1781
Item Number: CSMT351